Method of resistance welding



Patented. Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF RESISTANCE WELDING John R. Gier, Jr., Penn Township, Allegheny County, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania No Drawing. Application November 28, 1936, Serial No. 113,261

1 Claim. (Cl. 219-10) My invention relates generally to welding, and ganese, nickel and cobalt, act as a means of has reference in particular to a method of unitincreasing the contact resistance between the ing metallic members of high conductivity by members, thereby localizing the heat of welding resistance or spot welding. between the members where it is desired and Heretofore, it has been found difiicult to sealso possibly as reducing agents to remove any 5 cure satisfactory welds of members of high conoxide film on the adjacent surfaces, but they ductivity, such as copper, or copper bearing alfurther act to produce welds that are sound and loys. by resistance or spot welding methods. As ductile, and have a much higher tensile strength is well known, the heat in a resistance weld is than is possible to secure where other agents are due to a flow of current through the resistance used.

at the point of contact of the members. In the This result is apparently due to the fact that case of copper and copper alloy members, which these metals not only increase contact resistance have exceedingly low contact resistance, as much be We e members d Clean the Su a heat is often developed at the points of contact but y e'etuelly alley With the opper 0f the of the electrodes with the members as is devel-- m m rs- M n an s is sol ble in c pper oped between the members themselves, where it o ou t e entire range of p op t is desired. This results in excessive heating and Nickel Similarly is exceedingly Soluble in copper, burning of the electrodes, which greatly shortens h l cobalt is soluble i opper to a l r e their life, and also pits, heat stains, or otherwise Hence, instead 0f merely furnishing a mars the surface of the members. At the same method of localizing the e o W d n a d 20 time, insufiicient heat is produced between the deOXidiZing the Surfaces, p t c es of these members themselves, so that there is only partial ls ere not merely ud d in the Weld metal fusion between the members, giving generally of the joint s Separate p c s, ut c y an altogether unsatisfactory eld go into Solid SOI'lltiOll with the fused metal Of Various methods of improving resistance welds the members, fermihg a e 0f all y of eon- 25 of high conductivity members have been tried tiIluOllSiY Varying proportions out the point in which solid, granular, or finely powdered maof Welding- This results in an alley eld one terials are interposed between the surfaces of Which, instead of having a sharp ne Of dethe members. Carbonaceous materials, as well mercetion at the junction of the members,

as iron powder and filings, have be tili d sists of a continuous transition from the one 30 between members which it is desired to weld, to member to the other, giving e joint o remarkably increase the contact resistance between the high tensile S t a d ductility, instead of members and thus localize the heat. In some the Porous and brittle joint 80 Often S ed instances, agents have been used between the When other metals agents are used to inmembers not only to increase the contact refleas? t Contact resistance- 35 sistance, but further to react chemically to pro- IP18, therefore. an oblect my 1o o duce additional heat at the point of welding. Provide a method securme satlsfactory Such materials, however, while increasing the Sistehee e Spot Welds of members of high contact resistance between the members so as conductlvltyto relieve burning at the electrodes and mar- Another Object of my Invention is to P v de 40 ring of the surfaces of the members, have not a method of uniting members of W trical b altogether satisfactory in producing sound resistance, wherein a strong, ductile weld is sewelds. While iron and carbon satisfactorily incuredcrease the contact resistance between the mem- A further Object my inventlon is to p bers and further aid in cleaning the surfaces to Vide method of muting copper, Copper heel 45 b ld of any oxide m which might be ing members by resistance or spot welding, present, the resultant welds have been found wherein an alloy Weld iS S cured by interposing t b porous and b itt1 between the members in a suitable manner,

Wh th t l of th group comprising finely divided particles of a metal of the group manganese, nickel, and b lt, h been used comprising manganese, nickel and cobalt, which 50 as agents to secure resistance Welds between readily alloys with the pp in the one of the members of high conductivity, and in particuweld. v lar with copper or copper alloy members, it has A still further object of my invention is to been found that extremely satisfactory welds provide a method of uniting copper, or copper may be secured. Not only do these metals, manbearing members by resistance or spot welding, 56

wherein an alloy weld of continuously varying proportions is secured in the zone of fusion through the insertion between the members, before welding of a film of particles of an alloy of a metal of the group comprising manganese, nickel and cobalt with copper.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an alloy weld joint between a pair of metallic members of high conductivity, wherein an interposed resistance increasing and reducing agent forms a solid solution with the fused metal of the members in a continuously varying proportion through the zone of fusion.

In a preferred form of my invention, a film of particles of a metal which will alloy with copper, such as for instance, manganese, may be interposed in any desired manner, between a pair of copper, or copper alloy members which it is desired to weld, such as by distributing it in the form of a powder, or applying it as a paint to one of the adjacent surfaces of the members. The welding of the members may then be performed in any manner well known in the art of resistance or spot welding, such as by placing the members between a pair of relatively movable electrodes which are connected to the opposite terminals of a source of electric current, and bringing the electrodes into contact with the opposite surfaces of the members, under pressure. As the portions of the members under the electrodes become heated by the passage of the current, the adjacent surfaces will be brought first to the welding temperature because of the increased contact resistance due to the spacing of the members by the film of metallic particles. These particles themselves fuse and alloy with the copper of the members before the outer surfaces of the members have time to become unduly heated. This prevents burning of the electrodes and marring of the outer faces of the members.

It will be found that a weld is secured in which the interposed particles of manganese, or other suitable metal, have been fused together with the copper of the members, forming a solid solution which has no sharp line of demarcation, but varies continuously in its proportions of copper and the inserted metal across the zone of fusion, which proportions may be controlled by varying the thickness of the interposed film of manganese particles. Such a. weld has been found to be exceedingly ductile and of unusually high tensile strength, in contrast to the brittle and porous welds secured where other resistance increasing agents are used.

As certain changes may be made in the above description and different embodiments of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all the matter in the above description shall be considered as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

A method of uniting copper alloy members having low contact resistance, consisting of, interposing a layer oi particles of manganese between the members to increase the contact resistance therebetween, and passing an electric current between the members to fuse the manganese particles and adjacent portions of the members and. form a copper manganese alloy of continuously varying proportions across the zone of fusion.

JOHN R. GIER, JR. 

